--The first period was about to end in a 2-2 tie when Nashville's Dan Hamhuis slid the puck from along the right-wing boards across to David Legwand on the opposite side for a shot that beat Avalanche goalie Peter Budaj with three-tenths of a second remaining.

"I didn't think there was any room there (for Legwand to score)," Budaj said. "I thought he was shooting right away. He waited and pulled it back, and he shot it over my pad. It's a good shot. I don't know if he's going to make it every time, but he did. It's not like I wasn't ready for it. I was ready for it, but I think it was a lucky play. (Hamhuis) was facing the boards and he just spun around and passed it all the way on the other guy's stick, and he was back door. It was a tough play."

--With four players already on injured reserve, the Avalanche couldn't afford to lose another player but did in the first period when right wing/center Brian Willsie left with a left-knee injury and didn't return. Willsie was injured on a hit by Nashville's Jordin Tootoo. He will be reevaluated Friday and is expected to miss that night's game in Dallas. "(Tootoo) was going straight at him," Avalanche coach Tony Granato said. "I couldn't see or tell if he stuck his knee out, but I know (Willsie) tried to cut one way. It happened quick and there was no penalty called on it. Anytime you go knee on knee, it's going to be a dangerous hit and he took the worst of it."

--The Avalanche finally scored its first short-handed goal of the season. Left wing Wojtek Wolski scored it at 16:22 of the first period after Cody McCormick intercepted Ville Koistinen's pass up the middle. He passed to Wolski, who beat Predators goalie Pekka Rinne to the glove side.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "If you don't play solid for 60 (minutes), it can be the difference in the game, and it was." -- Coach Tony Granato, on Thursday's 3-2 loss to Nashville.